ÆSCULUS, the HORSE-CHESTNUT: A genus of the monogynia order, belonging to the heptandria class of plants; and ranking, in the natural method, under the 39th order, Tribilata.—The characters are: The calyx is a small, single-leaved, bellied perianthium, divided into five fragments. The corolla (except in the pavia, where it is four-petaled and close) consists of five roundish, flat, expanding petals, unequally coloured, and with narrow claws inserted into the calyx. The stamina have seven subulate declining filaments, the length of the corolla; the anther ascending. The pistillum is a roundish germin, ending in a subulate stylus; the stigma pointed. The pericarpium is a leathery, roundish, trilocular, three-valved capsule. The seeds are two, and subglobular.—In this genus Van Rozen and Miller observe both male and hermaphrodite flowers. There are two.
Species. 1. The hippocastanum, or common horse-chestnut. It was brought from the northern parts of Asia about the year 1550, and sent to Vienna about 1588. This tree makes a noble appearance all the month of May, the extremities of the branches being terminated by fine spikes of flowers spotted with rose colours, so that the whole tree seems covered with them. It is quick in its growth; so that in a few years it arrives at a size large enough to afford a good shade in summer.
Ac. lus. summer, as also to produce plenty of flowers. They have, however, this great inconvenience, that their wood is of no use, being unfit even for burning; and their leaves beginning to fall in July, soon deprive the trees of their beauty. There is something very singular in the growth of these trees; which is, that the whole shoot is performed in less than three weeks after the buds are opened.—The nuts are reckoned good food for horses. In Turkey, they are ground, and mixed with the provender of these animals, especially those which are troubled with coughs or broken-winded. Deer are also very fond of the fruit; and at the time of their ripening keep much about the trees, but especially in strong winds, when the nuts are blown down, which they carefully watch, and greedily devour as they fall.
2. The pavia, or scarlet-flowering horse-chestnut, a native of Carolina, the Brasils, and the East. It grows to about fifteen or sixteen feet high; and there is a delicacy in this tree that makes it desirable. The bark of the young shoots is quite smooth, and the growing shoots in summer are of a reddish hue. The leaves are palmated, being pretty much like those of the horse-chestnut, only much smaller, and the indentures at the edges are deeper and more acute. The lobes of which they are composed are spear-shaped; they are five in number, are united at their base, and stand on a long red footstalk. The leaves grow opposite by pairs on the branches, which are spread abroad on every side. The flowers come out from the ends of the branches. The first appearance of the buds is in May; though they will not be in full blow till the middle of June. They are of a bright red colour, and consequently have a pleasing effect among the vast tribe of yellow-flowering sorts which show themselves in bloom at that season. They continue in succession for upwards of six weeks; and sometimes are succeeded by ripe seeds in our gardens.
Propagation and culture. The first species is propagated from the nuts. In autumn, therefore, when they fall, a sufficient quantity should be gathered. These should be sown soon afterwards in drills, about two inches asunder. If the nuts are kept till spring, many of them will be faulty; but where the seminary-ground cannot be got ready before, and they are kept so long, it may be proper to put them in water, to try their goodness. The good nuts will sink, whilst those which are faulty will swim; so that by proving them this way you may be sure of good nuts, and have more promising hopes of a crop. In the spring the plants will come up; and when they have stood one year, they may be taken up, their tap-roots shortened, and afterwards planted in the nursery. When they are of sufficient size to be planted out finally, they must be taken out of the nursery with care, the great side-shoots and the bruised parts of the roots should be taken off, and then planted in large holes level with the surface of the ground, at the top of their roots; the fibres being all spread and lapped in the fine mold, and the turf also worked to the bottom. A stake should be placed to keep them safe from the winds; and they must be fenced from the cattle till they are of a sufficient size to defend themselves. The best season for all this work is October. After the trees are planted, neither knife nor hatchet should come near them; but
they should be left to Nature to form their beautiful parabolic heads, and assume their utmost beauty.—The horse-chestnut, like most other trees, delights most in good fat land; but it will grow exceedingly well on clayey and marley grounds.
Miller says, "When these trees are transplanted, their roots should be preserved as entire as possible, for they do not succeed well when torn or cut; nor should any of the branches be shortened, for there is scarce any tree that will not bear amputation better than this; so that when any branches are by accident broken, they should be cut off close to the stem, that the wound may heal over."
The second species is propagated, 1. By budding it upon the young plants of the horse-chestnut. These stocks should be raised as was directed in that article. They should be planted in the nursery way, one foot asunder, and two feet distant in the rows, which should be kept clean of weeds, and must be dug between every winter till the operation is to be performed. After they have stood in the nursery-ground about two years, and have made at least one good summer's shoot, the summer following is the time for the operation. Then, having your cuttings ready soon after midsummer, the evenings and cloudy weather should be made choice of for the work. Whoever has a great number of trees to inoculate, must regard no weather, but keep working on, to get his business over before the season ends; and, indeed, a good hand will be always pretty sure of success be the weather what it will. If the stocks were healthy, the summer following they will make pretty good shoots; and in a year or two after that will flower. This is one method of propagating this tree; and those plants that are propagated this way will grow to a larger size than those raised immediately from seeds.—2. This tree also may be propagated by seeds; which will sometimes ripen with us, and may be obtained out of our own gardens. The manner of raising them this way is as follows: Let a warm border be prepared; and if it is not naturally sandy, let drift-sand be mixed with the soil; and in this border let the seeds be sown in the month of March, about half an inch deep. After this, constant weeding must be observed; and when the plants are come up, if they could be shaded in the heat of the day, it would be much better. These, with now and then a gentle watering in a dry season, will be all the precautions they will require the first summer. The winter following, if the situation is not extremely well sheltered, protection must be given them from the hard black frosts, which will otherwise often destroy them; so that it will be the safest way to have the bed hooped, to cover them with mats in such weather, if the situation is not well defended: if it is, this trouble may be saved; for, even when young, they are tolerably hardy. In about two or three years they may be removed into the nursery, or planted where they are to remain, and they will flower in three or four years after. The usual nursery-care must be taken of them when planted in that way; and the best time for planting them there, or where they are to remain, is October; though they will grow exceedingly well if removed in any of the winter months; but, if planted late in the spring, they will require more watering, as the ground will not be so regularly settled.
Æsop. settled to the roots as if they had been planted earlier.